Fair Park's 277 acres encompass the nation's largest collection of Art Deco buildings. Fair Park, registered as a National Historic Landmark, was built in 1936 as a central exposition for the Texas Centennial celebration of independence from Mexico.

Today, Fair Park includes an impressive list of year 'round special collections (African American Museum, Age of Steam Railroad Museum, Dallas Museum of Natural History, The Science Place and the Science Place Planetarium, TI Founders IMAX Theater); the Music Hall (home of the Dallas Opera and Dallas Summer Musicals); the Dallas Aquarium and the Texas Discovery Gardens. The Women's Museum opened in September 2000. Fair Park also houses special events such as Irish Fest, Cinco de Mayo, Artfest and Crawfest. More than 7 million people visit the grounds each year.

Other popular attractions include concerts at the outdoor Smirnoff Music Centre, college football in the Cotton Bowl, and the annual State Fair of Texas each fall.
– CATHERINE CUELLAR